Military Aid from the Seljuk State of Türkiye to the Byzantine Empire Campaigns in the Balkans
Şeyhmus NayırSince Suleiman Shah’s reign (1075–1086), the founder and first ruler of the Turkish Seljuks State (Sultanate of Rum), the Seljuks provided military aid to Byzantine empire in their campaigns in the Balkans. While details regarding the military support in question can be discovered in contemporary sources, in some cases, only brief information is available. It is believed that the Turkish Seljuks’ involvement in the campaigns in the Balkans continued during the Empire of Nicaea. Especially after 1261, when Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos. Palaiologos (1259– 1282) recaptured Constantinople/Istanbul, and the Turks/Turkmens became one of the decisive factors in the Byzantine wars with the Latins in the Balkans. This study aims to study the literature available on this topic and to contribute to a better understanding of the Turkmen/Seljuk presence in the Balkans and their relation with the Byzantines. Several events demonstrate that two different civilizations came to terms with diplomacy and helped each other during the Turkish Seljuk–Byzantine relations. The Byzantines enabled the Seljuk Turkmens, who became their eastern neighbors after 1071, to participate as their allies in their campaigns to the Balkans, using every opportunity offered by diplomacy through gifts, donations, and agreements. The Turkish Seljuks evaluated the military aid demand of Byzantium according to their own internal dynamics as a way of controlling the Turkmens during the establishment years and the vacuum in authority created by the Mongol invasion.
Türkiye Selçuklu Devleti'nin Balkanlar’da Bizans’a Askerî Yardımları
Şeyhmus NayırTürkiye Selçuklularının kurucusu ve ilk hükümdarı Süleyman Şah (1075- 1086) döneminden itibaren Selçuklular, Bizans’a Balkanlarda düzenledikleri seferlerde askerî yardımlarda bulunmuşlardı. Söz konusu askerî destek hakkında çağdaş kaynaklarda bazen ayrıntılı bilgilere ulaşılabildiği gibi kimi durumlarda sadece kısa bilgiler yer almaktadır. Türkiye Selçuklularının Balkanlardaki seferlerdeki mevcudiyetinin İznik Rum İmparatorluğu döneminde de devam ettiği tespit edilmektedir. Özellikle İmparator VIII. Mikhail Paleologos’un (1259-1282) Konstantinopolis’i (İstanbul’u) geri aldığı 1261’den sonra Bizans’ın, Balkanlarda Latinlerle olanlarında Türkler/ Türkmenler belirleyici unsurlardan biri olmuşlardır. Makale Balkanlardaki Türkmen/Selçuklu varlığının Bizanslılarla olan ilişkilerin daha iyi anlaşılmasına katkı sunmak amacıyla eldeki veriler ışığında ele alınmıştır. Türkiye SelçukluBizans ilişkilerinde iki farklı medeniyetin gerekli durumlarda diplomasi yoluyla asgari ölçülerde uzlaştığı ve birbirlerine yardımda bulunduklarını gösteren somut olaylara değinilmiştir. Bizanslılar 1071’den sonra Doğu’daki komşuları hâline gelen Selçuklu Türkmenlerini diplomasinin kendilerine sunduğu her olanağı kullanarak hediyeler, bağışlar ve anlaşmalar yoluyla müttefik edindiler. Türkiye Selçukluları da kuruluş yıllarında ve Moğol işgalinin meydana getirdiği otorite boşluğu sırasında Türkmenleri kontrol etmenin bir yolu olarak Bizans’ın askerî yardım taleplerini kendi iç dinamiklerine göre değerlendirmişlerdi.
The Turkish Seljuks State (Seljuk Sultanate of Rum) started sending auxiliary troops to assist the Byzantine Empire in its Balkan campaigns since the reign of Sultan Suleiman Shah I (1075–1086). Emperors from the Komnenos dynasty specifically benefited from the Seljuk Turkmens in these campaigns. Particularly during the reign of Alexios I Komnenos (1081–1118), Turkmens played an important role in the Byzantine army in recapturing strategic cities such as Draç, which was under Norman occupation. It has been determined that the presence of the Turkish Seljuks in the Balkan campaigns continued during the Greek Empire of Nicaea. After 1261, when Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos (1259–1282) recaptured Constantinople (Istanbul), Turks/Turkmens were one of the decisive elements in Byzantium’s wars with the Latins in the Balkans. Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos had probably established contact with the Turkmens and their chiefs during his stay (1256–1257) with Sultan Izz al-Din KayKawus II (1246–1262). When he ascended the throne as emperor, it is believed that he used these close relations with the Turkmens during the Balkan campaigns. Byzantium’s foreign policy during this period was orientated toward eliminating any threat from the Balkans to block the Latin occupation of Constantinople. Not only did this Western-centered policy of the emperor enable the Turkmens of Western Anatolia to serve in the Byzantine army as paid soldiers but also contributed to the establishment of Turkish sovereignty in the region. During the reign of Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos, Christian–Turkish elements called Turkopol joined various ranks of the Byzantine army. It is known that many Turks who converted to Christianity or were born to this religion during and after Michael VIII Palaiologos’s reign lived in the Byzantine Empire. Moreover, one of the most controversial issues of the Turkish presence in the Balkans is based on the relations between the Turkish Seljuks State and Byzantium. It is known that after Sultan Izz al-Din Kay-Kawus II defected to Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos, a large Turkmen group loyal to him moved to the Balkans. These Turkmens, known as Gagauz Turks, settled in Dobrudja and lived in the Balkans. It is claimed that after the death of their leader Sarı Saltık, some of them returned to Anatolia and, in time, the rest of them became Christians and continued to live in the region. This Turkish community points to the existence of an important mass in contact with this region since 1078, when the presence of Seljuk Turks in the Balkans was known. One of the most important issues mentioned by the sources both in the Balkan campaigns during the Komnenos period and in the operations during the reign of Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos was the mastery of the Turkish cavalry in archery. The sources of the period mention that the lightly-armored, fast-moving Turkmen archers were effective in defeating Byzantium’s enemies. The Byzantines made the Seljuk Turkmens, who became their eastern neighbors after 1071, their allies through gifts, donations, and treaties, exploiting every opportunity this diplomacy offered them. The Turkish Seljuks State also evaluated Byzantine Empire’s requests for military assistance according to their internal dynamics as a way of controlling the Turkmens during their foundation years and during the authority vacuum created by the Mongol invasion. In this study, concrete events indicating the relations between the Turkish Seljuks State and the Byzantine Empire are discussed, which reveal that two different civilizations reconciled and helped each other to a certain extent through diplomacy, when necessary.